Ringing in the Olympics: Beijing

A photo to match the occasion.

This blog has already reflected on some poor hosting decisions by the IOC, but 2008 was the all-time nadir. It was, of course, only a matter of time before the world's most populous nation got their crack of the whip (no pun intended), but IOC pledges to hold China accountable for human rights violations in the run-up proved, to nobody's great surprise, utterly vacuous.

The Games themselves will be remembered for the multiple medal heroics of three men: Michael Phelps (8) and Chris Hoy (3) swept aside all before them in the pool and the cycling track, respectively. But, for me, the 2008 Olympics will always be synonymous with surely the most aptly named athlete ever to compete in their sport: Bolt. Though, at times, he could just as easily been monickered Saunter or Amble, not least as he nonchalantly strolled over the 100m finish line, giving himself breathing space to break some more world records. Not so in the 200m, where he went full-pelt for the line and became the first athlete to break the 100m and 200m records in the same Games.

Charismatic, engaging, self-deprecating, Bolt had the winning personality to go with his medals. It's both a sad indictment of the state of modern athletics and a reflection of Bolt's greatness that, some months later, a friend of mine said to me, "Boy, I sure hope he's not on drugs." Rarely have I been more in agreement.

Here's Bolt on tape, with the even greater 2009 performances in Berlin thrown in as a bonus.